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Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies is a constitutional monarchy in Southern Europe. Its only neighbours are the Papal State and the hostile Socialist Republic of Italy History The Kingdom of Sicily's history is one of a great many twists and turns; beginning with the collapse of Eastern Roman rule in the face of Arab and Norman invasions. The kingdom's peculiar name has its origins in the War of Sicilian Vespers when the Kingdom of Sicily lost control of the island of Sicily to Aragon but retained its holdings on the Italian mainland. Though the crowns were united at various points in later history, the direct predecessor of the current Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was born in 1759 as a result of the Treaty of Vienna. After a brief interruption of Bourbon Rule during the Napoleonic Wars, the Kingdom rebuild itself and formally adopted the name from its Napoleonic counterpart, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Later in that century, the Two Sicilies helped the cause of Italian patriots against Austria during the Risorgimento, But still was annexed forcefully by Piedmont. After the annexation of the Crown by the Piedmontese, what followed was nothing short of a dark age; poverty gripped the countryside, and many turned to fight the invaders and were branded as 'brigands' by Savoyard officials. This lamentable state of affairs kept the Mezzogiorno in chains until the Weltkrieg. In the far north along the Tyrolian frontier, the Italian blunders kept accumulating, as hundreds of thousands of Italian men were fed into the endless meat-grinder of the Isonzo. In a final mockery to all the blood spilled, the Crown of Savoy would not withstand the might of the Kaiserreich. As a price for its betrayal, the Kingdom of Italy was dismantled by Austria; in its place, a more decentralized and inclusive Italian Federation was to be built atop the ruins of the Kingdom. However, political bean-counting for Italy’s dissolution came to an abrupt end when the ruinous terms of the peace came to light, and far more pressing issues arose amidst the syndicalist and nationalist rebellions that soon gripped the north. While there were minor strikes and uprisings in the Mezzogiorno, the people, in general, had little will to rebel, even before the Bourbon monarchs arrived from their exile; war exhaustion and a lack of unified ideological goals contributed to this, but also the returning divisions from the North. A few cases of skirmishes between anarchists and syndicalists were registered in Campania and Apulia. Nationalists and regionalists soon discovered a shared interest in defending the crown against Syndicalism. While the latter group saw this as a golden opportunity to be seized for a truly independent Sicily, the former saw and many among them still see Sicily as the last, best hope at true reunification. The two years of Civil War were chaotic at best in the north, but in the South, a Siculo-Austrian front defended the Italian Federation from the Red Tide and quelled unrest swiftly. In many battles such as Ascoli Piceno and Lake Bracciano, forces loyal to Sicily distinguished themselves, but it was decided to defend Rome and His Holiness rather than risk open war with Syndicalist France, something Austria wished very much to avoid after 6 long years of conflict. What followed was peace, calm and prosperity; at least when compared to the rest of the peninsula. The pious people of the realm voted for the Parliament and His Majesty's government to be in the hands Luigi Sturzo and his Democratic Christian Party, whose ideals of Christan Democracy were attractive to voters across the political spectrum. The ideas behind this rising movement had consolidated during the Weltkrieg and Civil War, and the party was founded in 1921 with direct authorization from His Holiness Pope Benedict XV. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was the first Italian state to declare independence from the Italian Federation during the 1925 war scare, when the Socialist Republic, encouraged by their new ally in the Union of Britain, mobilized to attack the states of the Mezzogiorno. Austria-Hungary, terrified of another war, backed down and removed its troops from the south. Furious, Naples withdrew from the Federation, soon followed by Cagliari. Ultimately, the British and French refused to fight another war so soon after the last, and also forced their ally in Torino to remain at peace with Sicily and the rump Papal State. Since then, the Two Sicilies has remained neutral in the international sphere, but many believe they will soon join a European alliance. Politics A Constitutional Monarchy, the Kingdom has experienced relative prosperity since its inception, and the war in the north mostly discredited unionists, as public opinion sees the 'northern rabble' as unfit to rule over the Mezzogiorno ever again. While Luigi Sturzo and his moderates have been in power for almost a decade, there was only so much they could do to help the impoverished of the nation, for even without war, poverty and poor land distribution plague the kingdom. Sixteen years of PDC rule have caused political strains, and while nothing can be said to be going poorly, new forces are rising in Sicilian politics. Some are the more militant, conservative splinters of the movement (DC), others are liberals (PPD) who believe the PDC interferes too much in the economy and affairs best left to private citizens. Finally, there are those influenced by foreign ideologies, especially Integralism (IDS), which has gained popularity in Sicily and Calabria. This rather peculiar ideology, grounded upon expanded powers for the monarch and self-rule to small towns, caters to many sensibilities in the Mezzogiorno and may gain far more seats in 1937 than it did in 1933. The issue of how to handle the 'Syndicalist Question' is one that hovers over any debate, be it among officers of deputies. While many argue that the Italian Federation should be restored in case of victory, a minority defends the idea of keeping Sicily as an independent state. Many influential generals and admirals are staunch monarchists who believe that Italy should be restored as a unitary state, as it was before the Weltkrieg, and such an outcome is also favoured among nationalist circles. One of the main movements pushing for an aggressive stance towards reunification chose the name of Carbonari, after the revolutionaries of the past century. *'Head of Government:' Luigi Sturzo *'Foreign Minister:' Gaetano Martino *'Economy Minister:' Ugo de La Malfa *'Intelligence Minister:' Enrico De Nicola Military The Royal Armed forces of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies are divided into 3 main branches, which operate under the nominal authority of the King: Army The Royal Army is very much well equipped and manned. It is composed of 12 organized infantry divisions with Artillery brigades on each, one Armored division, and one Mountaineer division. While the border with East Italy has been demilitarized to a degree, all units are drilled to converge to the front quickly. One of the infantry divisions helps garrison Rome and protects the Papal State against an eventual sudden syndicalist incursion. Navy The Royal Navy was granted the bulk of the former Italian navy when it was reinstated in 1919 and is still the most formidable navy in the Peninsula. It possesses 3 Battleships, 6 Heavy Cruisers, 6 Light Cruisers, 26 Destroyers and dozens of Submarines, and new models are being made in the Naples and Taranto shipyards. Air Force The air force is composed of 3 different air wings, each performing a different role. ANFA and other manufacturers have long contracts with the Sicilian state, and their aircraft are even exported abroad. Foreign Relations The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies has it's independence and territory recognized by the international community ever since the Peace with Honour and has embassies in several nations. It's muddiest relations are with the Republic of Italy, which at the same time recognizes its independence and claims its provinces. The official stance of the Republic is that 'eventual reunification' will happen, and that Italians should work together against Syndicalism. The Papal State, due to its diminutive size and archaic state apparatus, relies almost entirely on the Two Sicilies for protection and keeping law and order. Naturally, there is open hostility with the Internationale. Despite little to no border attrition, garrisons are always on alert, and there is a division ready to act on Rome in case of a sudden offensive. Economy The economy of the Kingdom is the healthier in the Peninsula, in no small part to do the South avoiding any, if all, damages from the Weltkireg and Civil War. The nation's economy still has a very large share of agrarian income, but the exodus of skilled workforce from the north, especially entrepreneurs, allowed industries to take footing especially in Naples. Everything from Cars to Guns is made in the new factories, and among them, the most successful is ANFA, which even manufactures airplanes of high quality. Sicily is one of the most prosperous nations of Europe in the modern-day, in terms of economic growth. Also of note are the busy shipyards in Taranto and Naples, which produced dozens of warships in the last decade. While some started back in the times of the Kingdom, many were specifically ordered by smaller nations which lack the expertise and capacity to properly build them at home. This is a significant source of income for the young Sicilian state, and may very well the be fuel for its war machine. Culture The regions of the Two Sicilies were exposed to some different historical influences than the rest of the peninsula, starting most notably with Greek colonisation. Greek influence in the South was dominant until Latinisation was completed by the time of the Roman Principate. Greek influences returned by the late Roman Empire, especially following the reconquests of Justinian and the Byzantine Empire. Sicily, a distinctive Norman-Arab-Byzantine culture throughout the Middle Ages, was captured by Muslims and turned into an Emirate for a period, and via Sicily, elements of Ancient Greek and Hindu culture borrowed by Arabs were introduced to Italy and Europe. The rest of the mainland was subject to a struggle for power among the Byzantines, Lombards, and Franks. In addition, the Venetians established outposts as trade with Byzantium and the Near East increased. Until the Norman conquests of the 11th and 12th centuries, much of the South followed Eastern rite of Christianity. The Normans who settled in Sicily and Southern Italy in the Middle Ages significantly impacted the architecture, religion and high culture of the region. Later, Sicily was subjected to rule by the new European nation-states, first the Crown of Aragon, then Spain, and Austria. The Spanish had a major impact on the culture of the South, having ruled it for over three centuries. Jewish communities lived in Sicily and Southern Italy for over 15 centuries but in 1492 King Ferdinand II of Aragon proclaimed the Edict of Expulsion. At their height, Jewish Sicilians probably constituted around one-tenth of the island's population. After the Edict, they partially converted to Christianity and some moved to the Ottoman Empire and other places in Southern Italy, Rome and Europe. In the 19th century, street musicians from Basilicata began to roam worldwide to seek a fortune, most of them would become professional instrumentalists in symphonic orchestras, especially in the United States. In the 19th and early 20th century, many armed groups called Brigands by the Italian authorities roamed the countryside. In the modern-day, they are rather seen as freedom fighters against northern oppression and are a popular theme on songs and literature. The diaspora in the United States is especially of note, for it is large and many still wish to come back if possible. There is a small 'return home' movement in the USA, which has been growing since their economy crashed in the 1920s. Surely if further unrest happens, many will indeed come to Sicily. See Also *Papal State *Socialist Republic of Italy *Italian Republic Category:Countries Category:European countries Category:Monarchies Category:Italian-related topics